


Scientific Curiosity

by masserect



Category: Mass Effect
Genre: Alien Sex Toys, F/M, Mass Effect Kink Meme, Other, Protheans (probably) don't work that way, Salarians, Science, Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-12-22
Updated: 2011-12-22
Packaged: 2017-10-27 17:38:19
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,984
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/298341
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/masserect/pseuds/masserect
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mordin studies a curious device. Kasumi helps him try it out.</p><p>Apparently, Mass Effect fans are also fond of sex toys. Original prompt on the <a href="http://masseffectkink.livejournal.com/">ME kink meme</a>: "In honor of this fracking awesome discovery, a prompt is in order. I don't care what sort of story people want to write, but it MUST include toys of some sort. Maybe they could be new alien technology? Hell, old Prothean sex toys."</p>
            </blockquote>





	Scientific Curiosity

The majority of the crew had not met Liara T'soni, but she and the Commander went way back and the intel she supplied was known to be first class, and they were prepared to leave it at that.

The prothean ruins at the specified coordinates had been... impressive, if you were into that sort of thing, and while they hadn't been the first crew on the scene, their advanced scanners had picked up quite a few things earlier scavengers had missed.

Now, a few hours later, the objects were secure in the _Normandy_ 's lab. The crew had dispersed, either returning to their quarters or taking the opportunity to get reacquainted with solid ground while the ship was docked for supplies in the small port conveniently located between the dig site and the nearest relay, and Commander Shepard had withdrawn to the captain's quarters, citing a sudden headache after staring at the recovered artefacts for just a little longer than seemed strictly necessary.

Perhaps there was something interesting at work here, but she had no idea where to start.

Kasumi Goto paced back and forth in front of the window in her room. The view wasn't anything special; a dusty little planet, rocks and dry dirt, mostly reddish grey, and a few blocky, functional buildings - nothing impressive compared to the hundreds of similar instalments located all over the galaxy, and certainly not compared to what she would see when the ship was in flight.

This place was an eyesore. Too industrial to have anything worth stealing; too small to have a bar better stocked than the one in her room, and full of dust. Barely big enough to qualify as a mining colony. The kind of place people went because they were in trouble - with the law if they were lucky; with the underworld if they were _un_ lucky. That, and the people who were down on their luck, had to take any job that would feed them, and who usually left as soon as they had the credits to board a ship bound for Anywhere Not Here.

Kasumi had no interest in disembarking. If you've seen one dull, dreary colony, she figured, you've pretty much seen them all, and these places were not _nice_. She wished they could have stopped to supply somewhere else - she had an urge to go out and do something, didn't matter what as long as it was thrilling and at least borderline illegal. _Live_ a little.

She hadn't expected this. Had _expected_ to feel relieved after the mission was over, kick back and relax... at least for a little bit.

But with all said and done, she missed the adrenaline even more than usual.

The prothean relics lingered in her mind. She was a thief, after all. Priceless artefacts were practically what she lived for.

She might as well go bug the professor. It was always enlightening to watch him work, and if she was lucky, he might have uncovered something about the dig.

The door shut behind her with a metallic whisper.

*

 

Mordin was bent over a small table where one of the recovered items lay atop a soft cover, much like a jewel on display on a satin pillow. (She usually left a cheeky little note behind when she nicked those - it was such a shame to leave the pillow empty.) All it lacked was a hardened glass cover, a couple of grumpy krogan standing guard and an array of sensors around it, and it might even be a challenge.

The salarian did not look up when she entered. Even when the door shut behind her, he remained in position, squinting at the object, fingers twitching rapidly against the interface of his omnitool. By the looks of it, he was writing a small novel about... the way it caught the light? The way it smelled? She had no idea.

The artefact was small, about as wide as her hand, and not much thicker - shaped like a flat pyramid, four triangular sides and one square. The edges were rounded, as if the object was meant to be handled. It was black and glossy smooth, like polished obsidian, even after being buried for thousands of years, and it made a soft chiming sound when tapped. When closely examined, it seemed to glow very faintly in tune with the noise. Mordin had proclaimed the outer shell metallic, but its exact composition - and contents, if any - had been impossible to deduce in the field.

Careful not to disturb any of the equipment stacked on it, Kasumi leaned against the nearest table as the door closed behind her. Then, she watched.

He couldn't have missed the sound of the door opening and closing, and she'd taken special care not to walk too silently. It wasn't wise when you were dealing with people who might drop something explosive if startled.

"Found anything interesting, professor?" she asked after a while, when the view began to lose its appeal.

"Yes." A single, quick syllable. Salarians tended to talk fast, but Mordin had perfected it into an art. Kasumi smiled under her hood.

"Could you tell me something about it?"

It was only then that Mordin actually looked up. Without taking his hand off his omnitool, he turned and activated an instrument on another table. Several displays popped up, none of them making much sense to her. He kept working, hands flying over the displays and his omnitool, even as he spoke.

"Items differ from previous finds, potentially significant discovery - still, may be of limited practical use. Structure of ruins suggests recreation rather than research. Living quarters also unlikely, given knowledge of prothean social structure." He sniffed. "Fascinating. May broaden understanding of prothean culture."

"It was pretty big. You think it was a hotel, or a casino or something? Hard to imagine those things gambling." She had seen prothean art - had stolen some a couple of times - and if that was any indication, the protheans had been... kinda creepy. Humanoid, but very visibly non-human. It would have been less disturbing if they hadn't been so similar - like floating starfish, or hell, more like the Elcor or something.

Mordin nodded. "Hotel not unlikely. Reminded of Azure on Illium - structure remarkably similar."

She couldn't help but laugh. "Are you saying we excavated a prothean _love_ hotel?"

Mordin's eyelids rose, partly covering his eyes, somewhat giving the impression of a bespectacled professor peering over the rim of his glasses. "Prothean intelligence, physiology, not far removed from human or asari - relatively speaking. Sexual activity for recreational purposes common among several species." He straightened up and turned to the next table, where a second intact artefact lay, much in the same manner as the first, on a thick, soft square of cloth. "Also, next find supports theory - found parts of many, only this intact. Device designed to interact with prothean physiology. Central part built to fit external female genitalia. Internal structure bears similarity to known beacons, scale smaller, less complex, appears unable to transmit - intended to stimulate area by direct contact."

It took a moment for her to process that rapid-fire stream of words; another to ask herself if she had interpreted it properly, but there didn't seem to be much doubt.

"Are you telling me we dug up an ancient alien vibrator?"

Mordin's expression, while salarian features were not quite as familiar as human ones, seemed a bit displeased. "Terminology imprecise. Based on suspected usage, vibration _possible_ , not probable - neural stimulation, direct sensory transfer, more likely."

"Kinky."

It looked a bit like a chastity belt. Two flat, adjustable C shapes that would fit over the wearer's hips, and an elaborate 'hinge' where they met. She had never viewed those things as more than a curiosity; after all, what was the point if she could pick the lock in her sleep? Being helpless at someone's mercy - Keiji's mercy - had been fun, when they found a way to accomplish it, but some games quickly lost their charm between master thieves. The only challenge had been to see how long he could distract her from unlocking it, but she wasn't ticklish, and with the most interesting parts hidden by the belt, that hadn't been much fun either.

"Does it still work?" she wondered, studying the artefact with renewed interest.

"All scans indicate system operational. Still, need more data."

"Data, huh?" Well, why not? They did say you should try everything once. She had her own theories about that, like how one should probably avoid ryncol unless one happened to be krogan, but in general, it wasn't too bad. "So, you need a test subject?"

Mordin nodded without looking up from his display. "Test subject would be most helpful - protheans extinct, unlikely to find one." And with that, he seemed to dismiss the idea.

"You know," she said, with a chuckle, "for such a smart guy, you're pretty dense sometimes."

Mordin looked up, finally - blinking at her, expression blank, as if to say, That is a curious theory. Do go on.

Kasumi put her hands on her hips. "Me, of course. I'm going crazy just sitting around on my ass all day. Might as well stick it someplace interesting, and I don't think an opportunity like this is going to come up again any time soon."

Mordin tapped his chin. "Intriguing offer. Shepard's experience suggests human nervous system generally compatible with prothean technology - damage unlikely. Still, experience may be... unsettling."

She grinned. She could already feel a familiar fluttering tension in her stomach. The thrill of the unknown had always been a turn-on.

"If Shep's head can hold all that data, I should be able to handle this thing."

Mordin paused for a couple of seconds, probably going over likely scenarios in his head. Then, he nodded.

"Will need to remove clothes. Device operates on skin contact - no obligation, of course, human taboo against nudity well known."

Kasumi smiled and plucked at the clasps on her shoulders. "So you want to see me naked, huh, professor?"

Mordin raised his hands, taking a step back. "Please. Salarian, human anatomy incompatible. Lack sex drive." _Sniff._ "Doing this out of scientific curiosity."

Kasumi chuckled as she removed her cowl and ran her hands over her scalp, short-cropped black hair tickling her palms. "Relax, Mordin. I'm only kidding."

Mordin had already returned to his console, fingers dancing across the interface. "Yes. Aware of human desire for privacy. Locked doors, camera feeds halted. Disabled cameras eighteen through thirty-four. Cameras one through seventeen rerouted to galactic sports network." _Sniff._ A small smirk. "Forty-eight hour Elcor chess marathon."

Kasumi snorted. Seal after seal was coming undone - her outfit was designed to be light, flexible and unobtrusive while allowing her skin to breathe, but it was not designed to be removed quickly. Still, she was getting there. "I thought you'd be the type to enjoy chess, professor."

Mordin shook his head and spoke without looking away from his display.

"Elcor chess simplistic, deliberate. Excuse for silent rumination, not sport. Matches over six hours not uncommon. Salarian lifespan too short. Human variety better, prefer xiangqi personally - rarely find time to play, or skilled opponent."

It would be interesting to see, Kasumi thought - Mordin trying to sit down and complete a game that could take half a day. Cruel and unusual, probably, but interesting.

The last seal on her suit released, and the supple cloth slid easily off her shoulders. She balanced on one leg and pulled the other free from the garment; then switched and kicked the suit off entirely. She wore black panties underneath, cotton, simple and rather unsexy - had never been a fan of complicated stuff, or silk. The suit was snug and formfitting enough to make a bra unnecessary, and she had not anticipated taking it off in public, so it left her bare-breasted. No big deal; she may not be able to compete with Miranda, but she had nothing to be ashamed of, and as for the audience - well, Mordin was a pretty sexy salarian, so she didn't mind giving him a show. Even if he said he wasn't interested. Guys tended to change their minds a lot, after all.

But Mordin didn't do more then look up from his readings for a moment to confirm her status before returning to the display.

"Excellent," he said as she began to slide the panties down over her hips. "Bed on far right side - more comfortable, cleaner than the floor."

The floor was probably clean enough - she figured Mordin wouldn't tolerate any dirt that could be kicked up by an unsuspecting visitor - and comfortably warm under her bare feet, but that was no reason to refuse a proper bed.

It was not the kind of bed normally used for sleeping, but the model used for examinations in hospitals; not soft enough to sink down into, just enough not to be hard; a waterproof mattress and an easily replaceable cover. She hopped lightly onto the smooth surface and dangled her legs over the edge, elbows on her knees and chin in her hands.

Mordin fiddled with the 'vibrator' for a few moments before approaching her.

"Usage should be self-explanatory. Have warmed surface for comfort, however, temperature changes during operation not impossible. Will feel unfamiliar at first, moulded after... different anatomy."

"You don't have to try to convince me," she said, grinning as she took the device.

It required her to hop off the bed again to get it into place. Like an unusually stiff pair of panties, or, well, rather a lot like a chastity belt, actually. It wasn't bulky, and the metallic straps seemed to tighten as she pulled it on, locking the apparatus in place.

It was a bit odd, just as expected. Flat and hard between her legs, crossed with ridges, only vaguely fitting the outline of her sex. How had the protheans been equipped, down there? Maybe somewhere in the galaxy, there was some prothean porn remaining. Maybe she could ask Shepard. Although that might provoke another headache. That would...

That...

Kasumi blinked.

Something was...

Something was definitely _happening_. She wasn't sure what it was, but it was happening. A sensation somewhat like squiggly lines of warmth was beginning to spread up her body, as if growing out of the plate between her legs.

She looked up, and found Mordin holding the first artefact, the flat pyramid, in one hand, fiddling with the bottom panel with the other.

"Device operates via remote control," he explained, and swirled his fingers around the smooth plate. Kasumi gasped, staggered and leaned against the bed as the 'warm lines' seemed to turn themselves into knots in her belly.

It wasn't unpleasant. She wouldn't quite call it pleasant either, mostly weird - as if there were physical, solid _strings_ digging through her body, entirely painlessly. Vaguely disturbing, vaguely disgusting, _really_ disgusting if she thought too hard about it, but mostly just _fascinating_.

Then, suddenly, familiar. A line curved its way up her spine, and in an instant became something else, something warm being dragged up her back, from the base of her spine. A finger? A _tongue_? Soft and firm, warm, maybe a little wet.

Kasumi whimpered softly, steadying herself against the bed. Keiji had used to do something like that, both hands flat on her back, tracing her spine with his thumbs, all the way up. Well, he usually started by grabbing her ass, but he went up from there.

"Recommend taking a seat," Mordin said, his voice sounding somewhat fuzzy and distant. "Horizontal position may be ideal, but either way, acceptable."

He let up with the 'remote', and she climbed back onto the bed - not quite as gracefully as she had the first time.

Once she was on her back, the sensation returned. More insistent this time, enough to make her arch up, as if there were really a hand underneath her, a finger stroking her skin. Her hands settled on her hips and began to slide up across her stomach. She closed her eyes, replacing the smooth metal ceiling with an image of... someone, something. Maybe Mordin himself. It was rather thrilling to imagine his clever hands on her body, sliding up, cupping her breasts... She bit her lower lip and drew a hissing breath between her teeth as her fingers circled, slowly spiralling closer to her nipples. She had felt them stiffening at the first 'touch' against her back, and now they were aching to be touched.

But before she could get that far, Mordin cleared his throat, and she opened her eyes, blinking.

"Please try to refrain from... manual stimulation. Need to collect data, outside factors reduce quality of sample. Apologies - should only be necessary on first attempt."

She closed her eyes again, groaning with frustration, but forced her hands down, away from her body; grabbed on to the sides of the bed instead.

"Very good," Mordin said, and Kasumi's answer caught in her throat as his fingers returned to the remote.

Curling, swirling, the warm sensation spread through her body.

Then it wasn't just a finger tracing her spine. A line of warmth spiralled down her left leg, and soft lips seemed to pluck at her inner thigh, kissing and sucking at the sensitive skin there. Erratic, moving steadily, never allowing her to guess where it would touch her next.

She yelped when the lips were joined by a tongue - definitely a tongue this time, warm and wet, _slippery_ on her skin.

Her body shifted, her hips slowly moving against... nothing. The device was touching her there, she could feel its smoothly patterned surface against her, feel it sliding slightly as she moved - wet and slick. She couldn't deny that it was turning her on, but it wasn't doing enough.

Turning her head, she peered at Mordin with one eye. "Can..." She winced as her voice cracked; cleared her throat. "Can you turn it up?" she asked, and dug her fingers harder into the thin mattress. It was getting harder to keep them anchored there, to stop herself slipping underneath that plate and giving it a helping, well, hand.

Mordin smiled.

Kasumi's eyes went wide and round, and her entire body arched up off the bed, supported only on her heels and the back of her head; then slumped, falling back down with a thump.

In an instant, it had seemed as if her entire body had _hummed_ , like a guitar string, or maybe a bass; something deep and reverberating, something that left her ears ringing and her head a _mess_ , overwhelmed by the sensory input, and she lay twitching and shaking, staring straight up, mouth open but neither sound nor breath escaping.

It was only when the ringing died down that she finally managed to draw a long, slow, unsteady breath, her body still shuddering from the echoes of what had happened.

She didn't have time for questions.

Not before it started again.

It was - unnerving, just as Mordin had said. Unlike anything she had ever felt. It was like discovering parts of her body she had never known existed. Spots that had never seemed relevant before were suddenly sensitive - _ridiculously_ sensitive, so sensitive that the merest touch could turn her into an orgasmic little puddle of goo.

All she could do was curl up on her side and whimper, and not in a bad way. Oh, not in a bad way at _all_.

And all the while, Mordin stood silent, manipulating the remote with deft hands, playing her body like a violin.

Every time she caught her breath, the device stole it away again, left her trembling and gasping. No longer content with stroking, Mordin had begun to tap the remote, and the chiming that had seemed to faint and weak before now echoed and sung inside her, filling her head with fuzz and heat and all the colours of the rainbow.

It wasn't enough. Mordin tapped faster. And Kasumi's body sung.

She wasn't just experiencing orgasms. They washed over her like waves, but they were only part of the whole. She felt touched in parts no human ever possessed. Heard sounds beyond the capacity of the human ear, saw colours she had never before seen. When she breathed, she felt scents that were alien and labyrinthine; tasted them on her lips. Her head spun faster and faster, and she no longer felt a string, but a gong, overwhelming the senses, and she thought she might have screamed, but the sensation drowned out everything, every sound, every _thought_ -

And then everything went white - and silent.

*

The first thing she noticed was that everything was normal. The bed underneath her, the metal around her hips. Still and silent, no longer warm, no longer singing to her, and it was a cold and bleak way to wake up.

"Why." Her mouth was dry. Her throat, too. Could have something to do with the puddle of sweat on the soft cover underneath her. "Why'd you. _Stop_?"

Mordin turned towards her, already typing furiously at his omnitool. "Rapid loss of fluids problematic. Continued severe strain on muscles, ligaments, liable to cause damage." As she watched, he filled a lab beaker with water from a tap, reached under the table and produced a number of small, coloured bottles. He sprinkled several drops from each bottle into the water before approaching the bed and holding the container out for her.

Kasumi hesitated, and he left the beaker on the bed next to her.

"Vitamins," he said as he returned to his table and readings, "minerals, salts. More effective than filtered water alone. Grateful for your assistance; new data most interesting." As she took the beaker, still not fully convinced, Mordin pulled up another half-dozen displays, flickering wildly with graphs and diagrams, and seemed to forget about her all together.

The solution tasted... a bit salty, but it wasn't too bad. The moment it entered her mouth, she realized how thirsty she was, and emptied the container with hardly a pause for breath.

Then she began to swing her legs over the edge of the bed. They ached - _everything_ ached. She barely managed to stand up unassisted and winced as she stretched, trying to breathe some life into her exhausted body. The device slipped off her as she moved, the hip bands slackening of their own accord; she groaned as she bent to pick it up, and deposited it on the bed.

"Crew either sleeping or absent," Mordin said as she picked up her clothes. "Women's showers not in use. Suggest taking the opportunity. Also, stay hydrated. Recommend a cup of water before and after shower, at least. Then rest."

Kasumi gave him a dazed smile. "You're a pal, doc."

"Only trying to help. Should get moving, before crew returns. Be here if you have questions."

She nodded and headed for the door, her suit folded over one arm. The air rippled as she activated her cloaking device, and the door opened and shut.

Mordin checked the scanners to confirm that she had left the room, picked up a heat signature heading for the elevator, and nodded to himself. He replaced the soiled cover on the bed, disposed of the old one, and carried the artefact a few tables over to the right, leaving it in the molecular scrubber for sterilization. Then, he brought up the feeds from cameras 35 and 36, overlaying the video with recorded neural activity, heart rate, temperature and chemical balance.

As the recording played, he typed down a quick note to hide the relics somewhere safe before Kasumi could fully recover. The mild sedative he had slipped her in the water would encourage proper rest - for her health, of course. As a beneficial by-product, there was an eighty percent probability that he would remain undisturbed for the remainder of the evening.

He allowed himself a small smile.

This had turned out to be a very productive day.


End file.
